Mingling And MLM: The Sales Personality And The Cocktail Party

If sales were like a cocktail party, there’d always be one person boisterously clamoring about the room with a commanding presence while demanding the attention of all the party-goers. Entertaining though they are, the friendships they’re making are superficial and fleeting. The people who are building lasting relationships and engaging in meaningful conversation, however, are sprinkled about the room in a less conspicuous manner.

Don’t fall into the belief that you need to have a certain extroverted sales personality in order to make a sale. Sometimes the loudest, most talkative salespeople risk losing the trust of their customer base, and those that value the customer’s wishes over making the sale are met with success. Here’s how to avoid sales pitfalls to ensure that your efforts value quality over quantity.

How to Mingle at the Party of MLM Sales

Plan ahead. Come to the party prepared. You wouldn’t want to arrive only to find you were supposed to supply your own food or beverage, or that it’s a costume party and you’re in street clothes, right? In MLM, successful salespeople do a lot of planning ahead. They read material about how to be better at their profession, they train for the position in any way they can, and through experience they learn how to read customers to anticipate their next move. When making sales or presentations in MLM, don’t wing it. A “go with the flow” sales personality is great for certain situations, like in social settings or a creative atmosphere, but always remember that you want your customers to trust you. If you don’t have the facts right, or if your spontaneity wins over your organizational skills, your customers may lose trust in you and your company.

Scan the room. A room full of party-goers, but you’re stuck talking with a group of people you have little in common with. Don’t get caught speaking into the void. In the network marketing industry, make sure you’re targeting the right prospects. Your MLM product or service offers a solution to a particular problem, and if your potential customers don’t have the problem that your product addresses, or if they won’t find your services useful, don’t sell to them. Making a sale isn’t just about the exchange of currency for goods, it’s about understanding the needs of your customers and how you and your company can help fulfill those needs. Seek out the warm markets and generate quality prospects instead of enlisting those that aren’t interested.

Don’t be a conversation hog. Every party has one. Avoid this by listening to your customers; don’t be the one doing all the talking, smiling, joking and directing. Be observant of everyone else and the body language they’re projecting, take note of your customer’s concerns and questions and address them thoughtfully.

Develop relationships. So the party’s ending, but you’re not quite ready to leave the people you’ve met. The best way to turn a chance meeting into a lasting relationship is to make connections and build a foundation of friendship. In MLM, turning a one-time sale into a solid business relationship can help you and your business. Lasting relationships can develop a stream of referrals and a business partnership that can go on for years, whereas fleeting relationships disappear as soon as the sale is made. Take the time to build a foundation through communication campaigns and social media, follow up with your customers to ensure satisfaction. Promote others and help them achieve success; keep in touch with your downline and encourage them to accomplish their goals.

Find the Right Sales Personality For Your MLM Business

Even if you consider yourself introverted, you can still achieve success in sales by being who you are and not developing a whole new sales personality. Overall, your customers want to trust you and your company, they want your product to guide them to finding a solution to their problems. They don’t want someone pushy standing in their way and incessantly talking about their product. Recognize the needs of your consumer base, earn credibility, keep an open ear and be available. Mingle at the party, but don’t dominate.

J. Audrey Hoy is the CatalystMLM team’s resident wordsmith. With a master’s of fine arts degree from New York University, J. Audrey has served as an Adjunct Instructor of Creative Writing at NYU and she currently works as the Content Editor and contributor at CatalystMLM. Originally hailing from the Chicagoland area, J. Audrey has previously resided in Iowa City, Brooklyn and currently lives in Burlington, Vermont. She spends her free time reading novels, writing, exploring the Burlington area and enjoying the outdoors.